TMZ Sports - Page 50

Here's an age-old NFL question ... does it suck to be away from family playing on Thanksgiving -- or is it flat-out cool being a part of Turkey Day tradition???

TMZ Sports hit up Detroit Lions legend Herman Moore to get the answer ... and the ex-wide receiver told us straight-up Thanksgiving Day games were AWESOME!!!

"For Lion players that becomes kind of our Super Bowl since we haven't been to any," Moore says.

It's an interesting answer, considering most of the country would probably prefer to be at home with loved ones watching football ... but Moore says there was zero jealousy while he was on the gridiron on the holiday.

In fact, Moore tells us the feeling was pretty unanimous among his teammates ... saying, "You're the only show in town!"

Moore also says the atmosphere in the stadium was pretty cool too ... telling us he was guaranteed to see AT LEAST "3 or 4 brawls" in the stands every year on the holiday.

As for his favorite Thanksgiving game memory, Moore says of the 11 times he spent Turkey Day with the Lions ... the coolest off-field moment was getting a leg of John Madden's famous Turducken!!!

But, ya gotta hear why he's kinda regretting eating the crazy concoction nowadays ...

Brett Favre is going to bat for his former teammate ... telling TMZ Sports Sterling Sharpe belongs in the Hall of Fame -- saying the guy's got a similar resume as Gale Sayers!

"If a guy like Gale Sayers and some other ones are in the Hall of Fame with a short career, absolutely he deserves to be in," Favre says of Sharpe.

Of course, Sterling was an absolute BEAST in the NFL for 7 seasons ... piling up 8,134 receiving yards and 65 TDs on 595 catches -- but a neck injury prematurely ended his career.

Most pundits think that's why Sharpe ain't in Canton yet ... but Favre -- who played with Sterling from 1992 through 1994 -- tells us it's a BS reason to keep the 54-year-old from getting a bust.

"I have this argument with people all the time," Favre says. "The only thing you can say about Sterling is he didn't play as long as others."

But, Brett tells us that's not a good excuse ... 'cause guys like Sayers and Terrell Davis had injury-shortened careers but still got into the hall.

"The time that he played, the numbers that he put up, absolutely, 100 percent deserves to be in the Hall of Fame," Favre says.

Health and wealth are nice ... but here's a few more reasons to be thankful on Turkey Day -- the smokin' hot WAGs from the NFL's Thanksgiving Day football games!!!

Bears vs. Lions! Bills vs. Cowboys! Saints vs. Falcons!

There (should be) a ton of action on the field, but the Wives And Girlfriends (WAGs!) are proving they're the REAL stars off the gridiron!

Check out everyone from Rachel Bush -- bombshell wife of Bills safety Jordan Poyer -- to the gorgeous Nikki Jordan, wife of Saints superstar Cam Jordan.

And, don't miss Olympic gold medalist Nastia Liukin, who's dating Lions punter Sam Martin!!!

Look, there will be football and that's great. But, this right here is what the holiday is all about.

Terrible start to Trevor Bauer's Thanksgiving week ... a tire flew off a semi-truck and smashed up his $300,000 McLaren and the photo is heartbreaking!!!

It all went down in Houston, Texas early Tuesday ... where the Cincinnati Reds pitcher's beloved 2016 McLaren 650S was parked at the local McLaren dealership.

We're told the dealership is located next to a highway -- and earlier yesterday, a tire came loose on a semi-truck, flew across 6 lanes of traffic, ricocheted off a wall and smashed through a double-paned glass window before hitting the car!!!

The photo shows the damage to the wall, the glass and car ... it's a MIRACLE no one was hurt!!!

Sources familiar with the situation tell us the car is totaled -- but the good news, IT'S INSURED!!!

For his part, Trevor has a good attitude about the situation ... tweeting, "Yesterday, if you told me a semi truck would total my Mclaren, I would’ve believed you. If you told me it would happen like THIS? I would’ve said you’re out of your mind. If this isn’t @Mayhem I don’t  know what is @Allstate."

Bauer has reportedly made around $30 mil during his MLB career -- and is slated to make another $18 mil in the 2020 season.

Stephen F. Austin should go freakin' crazy after upsetting Duke ... so says its most famous alum, Jeremiah Trotter -- who tells TMZ Sports he wants the players to party like hell!!!

"Yo, enjoy the moment," the ex-NFL linebacker says. "Enjoy the moment. Celebrate. You don't get opportunities like that all the time!"

We spoke with the former Philadelphia Eagles star who attended SFA back in the 1990s ... and he says as far he knows, the win over Duke on Tuesday was the school's biggest moment.

And, when we asked what his advice would be to the team ... he said the players should enjoy it!!!

But, Trotter added there's got to be a limit on the partying ... telling us, "Once you've finished celebrating, then it's time to get back to work!"

Aniah Blanchard's mom was surrounded by friends and family at a vigil in Alabama on Tuesday where she shared memories of the 19-year-old and told the crowd, "She was my heart."

Officials believe Blanchard -- stepdaughter of UFC fighter Walt Harris -- was abducted at a Chevron station in Auburn on Oct. 23rd.

Investigators found remains earlier this week that are believed to be Aniah's -- and while officials are still working to confirm, her mother Angela Harris is already starting to mourn.

"Just her laughter and her smile, that’s what I'm going to miss the most," Harris told ABC33 ... "Just her happiness because she made life better for all of us."

"She's never gonna have my grandbabies that I wanted her to have or see her get married."

Aniah's closest friends hugged Angela at the vigil as she told the girls, "She loved y'all so much."

So far, three men have been arrested in connection with Blanchard's abduction -- but Harris says she feels a strong sense of guilt about the whole thing.

“Maybe not even anything I could have done, but I should have prepared her just a little bit better for things she might have come into contact with."

Officials believe Blanchard was forced into a vehicle by Ibraheem Yazeed -- who was seen at the gas station the night of the abduction. Cops tracked him down and arrested him in Florida.

Harris says she hopes other families will learn from this situation to help better protect their children.

"It can happen to you, it can happen to your family. So from tonight on, go home make a plan, get some things together, talk to your kids so we can prevent this and start fighting back for this evil that’s in this world."

It's officially official -- Memphis Tigers superstar James Wiseman will have to serve his full 12-game suspension after his appeal was rejected, the NCAA announced Wednesday.

Memphis and Wiseman had been fighting to allow the 18-year-old phenom to play for weeks ... but their attempts failed and the org. decided to uphold the ban.

"This morning, the NCAA's Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement upheld the conditions of reinstatement for men's basketball student-athlete James Wiseman, who will be eligible to return to competition Jan. 12," Memphis said in a statement.

"Although disappointing, we look forward to a promising season."

Wiseman -- the projected #1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft -- was declared ineligible after the NCAA found proof Tigers head coach Penny Hardaway gave his family $11,500 to cover moving expenses in 2017 (before he took the Memphis gig).

Wiseman addressed the news on Twitter ... saying, "Sometimes bad things happen to good people. God has never left me nor forsaken me throughout this process!

"God knows my destiny and I feel that even though hardships may be upon me! It too shall pass in the Grace of God. My journey isn’t finished, and this too shall pass."

Chicago Bears stud Akiem Hicks was PISSED after radio hosts joked about his elbow injury ... angrily hanging up the phone and saying he's NEVER coming back to the show again!

The 30-year-old D-lineman -- who's been out since Week 5 after gruesomely dislocating his elbow -- went on The Waddle & Silvy show to give a pump-up speech to Bears fans who are down on the team after its 5-6 start.

"Roll with us," Hicks said. "We didn't do this on purpose. We didn't try to get ourselves into this situation. But, we're doing everything that we can to climb out of this hole."

One of the radio hosts responded by making a joke about Hicks' elbow injury, saying, "You mean you didn't put your arm in between those two Raiders and it popped out of joint on purpose?"

The radio host added, "No, I'm joking."

But, Hicks clearly wasn't laughing ... and in fact, the 6'4", 352-pounder got super ticked and berated the hosts live on air!!

"That’s a joke?!" the Pro-Bowler said. “You think that’s a joke!? You don't joke about somebody’s injury!"

Hicks then told the guys this would be the last time he EVER appears on the ESPN affiliate station ... and hung up the phone.

Later, Hicks wrote on Twitter, "You don’t joke about someone’s nearly season ending injury. It’s just not funny. Shouldn’t have lost my cool but 'To err is human, to forgive divine'"

This is concerning ...

Steelers star JuJu Smith-Schuster posted video appearing to show him in the driver's seat of a BMW, hitting 104 MPH ... less than 2 weeks after suffering a severe head injury.

The Pittsburgh WR posted the video on to his Instagram stories late Tuesday night ... seemingly wanting to show off his fancy ride and the Travis Scott banger that was playing over his car's speakers.

The problem for JuJu? He suffered a serious concussion in the Steelers' game against the Browns on Nov. 14 ... and speeding down the highway with a phone locked in his hand ain't exactly the smartest call.

Hell, even if he DIDN'T have a concussion, ya shouldn't IG and drive (especially at 104 mph).

JuJu has since removed the video from his IG page.

Of course, this ain't the first time a young NFL superstar has tried to flex behind the wheel at breakneck speed ... back in March, Lamar Jackson did the SAME THING!!!

The Ravens QB -- who topped out at 105 MPH -- eventually apologized for the dumb move ... and went on to become the best player in the NFL this season.

Seems JuJu should learn a thing or two from the league's (likely) MVP.

Right after SFA hero Nate Bain hit the game-winner to beat Duke -- fans hit his GoFundMe with $30k in donations to help his family rebuild from the devastation of Hurricane Dorian.

AMAZING STORY!!!

Bain fought back tears during his postgame TV interview -- talking about how much the victory at Cameron Indoor meant to him ... especially after the disaster in the Bahamas.

"My family lost a whole lot this year," Bain said, holding back tears. "I'm not going to cry on TV."

Officials at Stephen F. Austin State University had set up an NCAA approved GoFundMe for Bain back in September ... saying Bain's family saw "nearly everything of value destroyed by Hurricane Dorian."

"Bain's father -- a minister -- watched as his church suffered extreme damage from the storm as well."

The good news ... EVERYONE learned about Bain's story after watching SFA take down Duke and fans flocked to the GoFundMe in droves to help out, donating roughly $30k!!!

And, it's not just SFA people opening up their wallets, fans from UCONN, Michigan State, UNC ... and yeah, even some Duke-haters are pitching in.

Incredible story ... but what's even cooler is how Bain was able to celebrate the moment with his teammates -- 'cause the guys went INSANE after his legendary layup!

You can see in locker room video shot by Bain's teammates ... there were water shower celebrations, Gatorade ice baths and a whole lot of flexing and screaming!!

Felt like March in November ... gotta love it!!!!

Here's Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Jasmine Sanders helping us ring in Thanksgiving ... with her butt.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!

The 28-year-old model was actually born in Germany, but she was raised in South Carolina and therefore has a deep, deep appreciation for Turkey Day.

So, to celebrate, Jasmine posted this video taking a shower at some rock formation somewhere in a thong bikini ... with the caption, "What’s on your Thanksgiving menu?"

And, THAT is the Thanksgiving connection here.

Oh, you want a sports connection, too? How about this ...

Sanders was recently connected to Phoenix Suns star Kelly Oubre Jr. -- they were holding hands on the way out of Bootsy Bellows nightclub in L.A. back in August.

Kelly said the two never developed into a full-fledged relationship ... which is absolutely RIDICULOUS ... but whatever bro, it's your life. Do you.

As for Jasmine -- the 2019 S.I. Swimsuit Edition Rookie of the Year -- thanks for the yams.

Canelo Alvarez thinks the Floyd Mayweather comeback is HILARIOUS -- saying there's no way Floyd would ever consider a rematch because he's too focused on MMA guys.

The boxing superstar was leaving Matsuhisa sushi in Hollywood in great spirits when we asked how he felt about 42-year-old Floyd wanting TWO fights in 2020.

"He's not gonna fight with me," a smirking Canelo told us ... "He's gonna take on MMA fighters!"

CA's entourage added a little more commentary -- with a female friend saying Floyd "couldn't handle" a fight with Canelo.

His male pal was blunter, saying, "Canelo will kill him!"

For his part, Floyd is still working on nailing down his two opponents -- a boxer and an MMA fighter -- and we're told he's got his sites set on Manny Pacquiao.

Meanwhile, Canelo's coming off a violent knockout victory over Sergey Kovalev as he fights his way through his 11 fight, 5-year, $365 MILLION contract.

Unclear what's next for Canelo -- but he's said in the past he would LOVE a rematch with Floyd, who has the ONLY victory over Alvarez in his pro boxing career.

The two fought back in 2013 -- when Canelo was only 23 -- and he lost by majority decision. After the fight, Canelo said he simply couldn't catch Mayweather.

New England Patriots stud Ben Watson just bodied PETA in the war over Georgia's dog mascot ... straight-up telling the org to "kick rocks" for criticizing the school's use of the sideline pup!

"He IS at home with a loving family," Watson said Tuesday, "Kick rocks @peta."

If you missed it ... PETA started an epic war with UGA this week after footage of the school's dog mascot looking sad during Saturday's rain-soaked game surfaced on social media.

The organization demanded the program retire the mascot ASAP ... saying the British bulldog looked "MISERABLE!" and needs to be moved to a new home.

PETA added, "No dog deserves to be packed up, carted from state to state, and paraded in front of a stadium full of screaming fans."

But, Watson -- who played at Georgia from '01 to '03 -- raced to his alma mater's defense Tuesday ... saying in a tweet Uga X is doing just fine at Georgia and DEFINITELY has a loving home.

Of course, this ain't the first time PETA has gone after Uga ... earlier this year it demanded his removal from the school after he and the University of Texas' Longhorn mascot got into it on the sideline.

For its part, Georgia doesn't seem to be in any hurry to bend the knee to the organization ... with no imminent plans to ditch the mascot anytime soon.

Ex-MLB star Aubrey Huff believes Bernie Sanders is a threat to America -- and he's teaching his kids to shoot guns in case Bernie beats Donald Trump in the 2020 election.

"Getting my boys trained up on how to use a gun in the unlikely event @BernieSanders  beats @realDonaldTrump in 2020," the former SF Giants slugger said.

"In which case knowing how to effectively use a gun under socialism will be a must."

Of course, 42-year-old Huff -- who won TWO World Series rings with the Giants -- is an outspoken Trump supporter who doesn't shy away from controversy. And, when asked WHO he was training to shoot, Huff offered up this explanation.

"Ummmm crazy people rioting and trying to break into my house for food or shelter. And yes that includes Americans. And they aren’t fellow Americans if they are breaking into my house and trying to harm my family dumbass."

Huff isn't the first person with an MLB connection to talk about guns and Trump ... just last month, MLB umpire Rob Drake got himself in hot water for similar comments.

"I will be buying an AR-15 tomorrow, because if you impeach MY PRESIDENT this way, YOU WILL HAVE ANOTHER CIVAL WAR," Drake said.

MLB is investigating pitcher Sam Dyson over allegations he got violent with his ex-girlfriend ... AND their cat.

Dyson's ex, Alexis Blackburn, is accusing the former Minnesota Twins pitcher of flying into a rage and smashing up their cat's play box while the cat was still inside.

Blackburn posted a message on social media -- written in the voice of her cat -- saying, "Someone I trusted with my safety, protection, and love did the unthinkable while I was inside the box."

Blackburn says she moved the cat out of their home -- and says (in her cat's voice), "I don’t have to worry about getting hurt because of anger or control."

"I don’t have to be scared of yelling and things being hurled at mom and me. I don’t have to be scared anymore."

In ANOTHER cryptic post -- using her own voice -- Blackburn alludes to an abusive situation with an unnamed person ... and says, "I am broken."

"I’ve allowed my physical health, my emotional health, and my mental health to diminish to nothing."

A source close to the situation confirmed to The Athletic ... both social media posts were written about Dyson.

An MLB spokesperson tells TMZ Sports, "We are aware of the matter and looking into it."

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal says MLB is calling the matter a "domestic violence investigation."

So far, no comment from Dyson's camp.

31-year-old Dyson is currently a free agent after spending last season with the San Francisco Giants and Minnesota Twins.

Freeclimbing legend Alex Honnold -- the star of "Free Solo" -- is being hailed as a real-life hero after rescuing a fellow climber Sunday who fell off a famous rock formation in Yosemite.

Honnold was at El Capitan -- the epic 3,200-foot formation he impressively climbed WITHOUT ROPES in his documentary -- when something went terribly wrong.

33-year-old Emily Harrington -- a 5-time sport climbing champ -- lost her grip and fell from the formation while attached to her climbing rope ... suffering injuries in the process.

"I took a bad fall and pinballed a bit then somehow hit the rope w my neck," Harrington explained.

That's when Honnold and his pals sprung into action ... getting to Harrington quickly and stabilizing her while emergency personnel arrived.

90 minutes later, Harrington was transported to a nearby hospital where she was treated and is now recovering.

Harrington's boyfriend, Adrian Ballinger, has since thanked Honnold for "calmly maintaining spinal immobilization on the wall, getting things ready for an evac, and telling stories and keeping her talking throughout.”

Ballinger says Harrington is in good spirits, praising her "warrior mentality" and expects her to resume her climbing career ASAP.